By the time the wolves started returning to human form, I had to make a choice. I could either enjoy the limited time I had here, or I could mope and make myself miserable.I’d spent too many years being unhappy. I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I knew I wouldn’t go back to Wolf Creek for anyone or anything. It wasn’t worth it. Even if I did want to make Tyler, Julian, and Kyle feel the kind of pain they’d inflicted on me. I wasn’t like them. I didn’t get off on causing harm. It was better for all of us if I vanished. Besides, Tyler would have to deal with the bond between us his entire life. That was probably a greater punishment than killing him.Sheila was back in her clothes, her face flushed and her eyes wild. “That was a great run.”“You looked like you were having fun,” I said.“I can’t wait till you get to join us,” she said.My chest tightened but I managed a smile. I knew that once I could shift, I was out of here but I didn’t need to think about that tonight.“Drinks?” Shei

Sheila wasn’t in her bed when I woke the next morning. I figured that meant things went well with her hookup. At least one of us was getting some action.I cringed at the thought. I could have had some if I wanted it, but I wasn’t interested in the pushy male who had his tongue down my throat. Lucas, I think Alec called him.Tossing the sleeping bag aside, I climbed off the cot and stretched. I was still in the same outfit from yesterday and since I didn’t have a change of clothes, this was as good as it was going to get.My temples throbbed and my tongue was like cotton. The forth cup of beer was probably a mistake. Since I didn’t drink often, I wasn’t great at holding my liquor.I ran my fingers through my hair to work out some of the tangles, then slipped on my boots. Hopefully, there was coffee to be found. Then I needed to find Alec before I went to Greta. It felt a little weird with how we’d left things last night and I wanted to assure him that I would respect his decision to se

“What do you mean?” I asked.“We could break that bond you have with your mate,” he suggested.“You mean I could kill him?” I clarified.“You can’t, he’s your mate. But I could,” he said.I shook my head. “I can’t ask you to do that for me.”“Can’t or won’t?” He narrowed his eyes. “Have you forgotten what he did? Or is the bond taking hold?”“No!” I recoiled, taking a step away from Alec. I had a lingering memory of wishing Tyler dead, but now I couldn’t make myself want that for him. “Is there another way to break the bond?”“Yes. But you’d have to go back to Wolf Creek.” His eyes were locked on mine. He was deadly serious.“You know that’s a death sentence for me,” I said.“Not if we’re smart. You need to get close to him, but not that close,” he said.“I don’t want to go near him. What if…” I couldn’t finish the thought.“What if you start to feel things for him?” Alec asked. “That’s going to happen no matter what. The longer you fight the bond, the more it will build. I wager you

I wasn’t enjoying where this conversation was going. I had spent my whole life doing what I needed to blend in, to survive. My plan was to leave Wolf Creek, go to college, and get a job. All my choices were based on being able to take care of myself. I planned to blend in and pretend to be human forever. In all my thoughts about the future, I never considered what I’d want if I had choices. I just assumed I didn’t. “I’m not even sure I know what I want.”“You have some thinking to do, then,” she said.“Yeah, I guess I do,” I said.Greta stood. “I’d suggest finding somewhere quiet to think. What is it that you want? How can you show your wolf that you’re not going to hold everything back?”I looked up at her. “I don’t know where to begin.”“Try having some hard conversations with yourself. You might need to discover who you are outside of Wolf Creek. Who is Lola? What do you love to do? Where do you want to go? How do you want to live? We might get a longer life than humans, but our ti

When I stepped into my tent, I discovered I wasn’t alone. Alec stood when I entered. “How’s the soul searching going?”“I wasn’t under the impression that Greta was sharing the process with you,” I said.“There’s not a whole lot that happens here that I don’t know about,” he said.“Then you already know the answer to your question.”“True. Which is why I thought I’d see if I could help,” he offered.“Where have you been all week?” I asked. “I could have used the help.”“I’m afraid I had to deal with some things away from camp,” he said.“Any of it having to do with me?”“Yes,” he said. “Your pack is out hunting you. We can’t wait until the full moon. We’ll have to go while they’re weaker.”“When?” I asked.“We’ll go tomorrow.”My heart raced. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t shift and I wasn’t mentally prepared to face them. “I can’t.”“You have no choice,” he said. “If we play this right, you won’t even have to see him if that’s what you’re worried about.”“How do we do it?” I asked. “Break